Christmas Conspiracy
by Duette Maxwell
Summary: Scott finds a strange woman on the beach, leading the members of IR into a mystery and conspiracy that could have dire consequences for mor than just the woman. (Chpt 9 up)
1. The Woman

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I owned Thunderbirds, I don't.  
  
Notes: This is my first public fic so go easy on the bashing. Also, this is taking place in the 2060's, but I've changed John and Virgil's ages. John is 24 and Virgil is 25. John just seems to make a better mis-understood middle child than Virgil does. Also, anything inbetween apostrophes ' ' are thoughts and are supposed to be italicised. (And please forgive the spelling on those). Well... On with the story...  
  
Christmas Conspiracy   
  
It was another beautiful day on Tracy Island. Scott, the early riser, was sitting on the couch in the lounge reading the morning paper when his father and brothers started coming down for breakfast. He took the paper with him as he joined everyone at the table to discuss the plans for the day.  
  
"Virgil and I are going to be in Thunderbird 2's hangar working on the launch ramp for Thunderbird 4. For some reason it's been jerky the last couple of times out," Gordon said while pouring himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes.  
  
"I'll be with Brains working on rewiring Thunderbird 3," Alan said, taking some fruit off the plate Grandma had put together for breakfast.  
  
Jeff looked at Scott. "Any plans?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Good. You can clean up the game room. You guys left quite a mess down there with that little food fight you had. Then you can help Grandma in the kitchen until Tin-Tin returns."  
  
"He most certainly will not!" Grandma exclaimed as she walked into the dinning room with a tray full of pancakes, bacon, and eggs. "I will not have that rascal getting into my cooking before it's even done. I'm sure Mr. Kyrano wouldn't mind helping me."  
  
Everyone chuckled then dug in. For the next few minutes the only things that could be heard were the munching of Gordon's Frosted Flakes, silverware against plates, and the occasional groan from Alan as he wrestled with a grapefruit.   
  
"Well, I'm off for a jog. Anyone want come along?" Scott asked, getting up from the table. Everyone shook their head, too stuffed to do anything at that point. Scott just shrugged and left them, heading for the beach.  
  
'We sure are lucky to live in such a beautiful place on such a beautiful island,' he thought as he started his jog. Just then a spot of bright yellow caught his eye further down the beach.  
  
"What the...?" he said as he began running towards it. When he got there he was shocked to see what looked like the remains of an inflatable life raft.   
  
"Father," Scott said into his watch communicator.  
  
"Go ahead, Scott," Jeff said as the picture of Scott changed into a live feed.  
  
"I've found something on the beach. It looks like the remains of a lifeboat. It's badly shredded. I haven't... Wait a second. There's something a little farther down. It's a person!" There was a brief pause, then, "She seems to be alive, but in need of some medical attention. Can you send someone out here to help me bring her back?"  
  
"Sure thing Scott. Virgil will be there with a stretcher shortly," Jeff replied.  
  
  
"FAB, father."  
  
Jeff radioed the news to Virgil in Thunderbird 2's hangar. Virgil ran and got an emergency stretcher and hurried to the beach. When he arrived he saw Scott carefully pulling the young woman away from the water. After a couple of minutes of careful work, they were able to load the girl up onto the stretcher. As swiftly as possible they headed back for the house, careful not to jar the woman too much so as not to cause any unnecessary injuries on top of what she already may have had. When they got to the med room, they carefully unloaded the girl onto a bed and waited as Brains did a quick check on her.  
  
"What's the verdict Brains?" Jeff asked as Gordon bandaged up a cut on the young woman's head.  
  
"W-w-w-well the cut on her head doesn't need any, er, stitches, but she does look like she hasn't eaten in days."  
  
There was silence for a few minutes as Scott and Alan went through the pockets of the woman's coat and the bag she was clutching to when Scott found her. The silence was suddenly broken by a computer voice asking for verification. Puzzled, Alan dug to the bottom of the bag and found a well-hidden compartment containing a small metal box. Pulling it out, everyone just stared at it in amazement.  
  
"I wonder what this is for," Alan said, turning the box over curiously.  
  
"L-L-Let me see that Alan," Brains said, holding out his hand. Alan handed it over and Brains began studying it right away. After a few moments of intense concentration and the scratching of his head, Brains announced that, though it would take a couple of hours, he could definitely crack the seemingly impossible to open box.  
  
"Why so long Brains?" Scott asked curiously.  
  
"Well there are a lot of, er, locks and c-c-c-combinations for each of them. Not to mention the exact s-s-s-sequence they need to go in. If I can bypass the key and voice codes the rest will be, er, very easy," Brains finished quietly as he went back to studying the box again.  
  
"Can't you just use a laser and cut it or just pry it open?" Alan asked somewhat impatiently.  
  
"N-n-no Alan. This is a work of art. Besides that, if you haven't, er, noticed, there are no seams to work with," Brains smiled slightly at Alan's sigh and left for the lab to start work on this modern marvel.  
  
"Did you find anything else?" Jeff asked the two boys as they began cleaning up the mess they had made with the clothes and personal items in the bag and coat pockets.  
  
"I found three different IDs in her wallet. All of the information seems to be the same except her name," Scott said handing over the IDs to his father.  
  
"Interesting... Did you find something Virgil?" Jeff asked as Virgil leaned over the girl. He reached just under her shirt collar and pulled out a set of dog tags.  
  
"These say she's Oriana Gant."  
  
"Hmm... Looks like we've got some work cut out for us. I'd like you boys to rotate posts every couple of hours and update me on any changes. In the meantime, I'll try and find out who Miss Gant really is and what she's doing out here," Jeff said as he was leaving the room.  
  
"Shall we draw straws to see who takes up the first watch?" Scott asked after a couple of minutes of silence.  
  
"I think I should be going. Brains might need some help with that box since Tin-Tin's still on the mainland," Alan said as he slowly back towards the door.  
  
"Uh, yeah, Virg and I still need to work on that ramp," Gordon said following Alan, but not before giving Virgil an elbow to the ribs.  
  
"Good luck!" Was all Virgil said before he took off after his brothers.  
  
Scott looked at the door his younger siblings had disappeared through and shook his head. 'I wonder what those guys are up to,' he thought pulling up a chair and sitting next to the bed. 'Well... Guess I'd better be prepared for a long couple of hours.' He looked at the woman and shook his head. 'Poor thing. I hope she can pull out of this.' 


	2. The Weapon

A/N: I'd like to thank all who have reviewed. You don't know what that means to me. Also, I'd like to ask ya'll all for some patience. My muse hates being rushed and tends to leave me at times because of a rush (He's new and isn't used to the work load yet). Oh, and about the mysterious woman - She's NO Mary Sue and if you'd like a complete background story on her, information, whatever, e-mail me. Otherwise, please be patient (there's that word again!) and let me do my thing. Anyhoo... On to the story...  
  
  
  
"Scott, could you please come to the lounge?" Jeff called through the intercom in the med room.  
  
"What about the woman?" Scott asked, getting up and stretching from sitting.  
  
"Alan's coming to relieve you."  
  
Just then Alan walked in, carrying several racing magazines with him.   
  
"Well speak of the devil. Planning on staying here long?" Scott asked noticing the magazines as he left and Alan just shrugged.  
  
When Scott got to the lounge he found Virgil and Gordon standing around his father's desk as Jeff and Brains talked quietly amongst themselves.  
  
"What's going on?" Scott asked, wandering up to the desk.  
  
"Brains, why don't you explain what you and Alan found?" Jeff said and Brains nodded.  
  
"C-c-certainly Mr. Tracy," Brains said, bringing out the metal box, now opened. "V-V-Virgil, if you could, please tell me what this is."  
  
Virgil looked in the box and whistled. "It's a flute. An expensive looking one at that, but a normal looking C flute."   
  
"Thank you. It is an e-e-e-expensive flute. It is sterling silver with twenty-four karat gold, er, accents. But do you notice a-a-anything odd about it?"  
  
Virgil took the body of the flute out and looked at it carefully. Then he checked the head and foot parts, shaking his head saying he could find nothing out of the ordinary.  
  
"W-w-would you mind playing a note for us? Middle C, if you wouldn't mind."  
  
Shrugging, Virgil put the flute together and played the note. Everyone was wondering what Brains was getting at when they noticed ripples in Jeff's cup of coffee. As Virgil continued to play the note, everyone began to feel everything start to shake.   
  
"A-a-a-all right Virgil, you can stop now."  
  
"What was that?" Jeff asked, visibly alarmed.  
  
"I-I-it was the flute, Mr. Tracy. You see it was designed to a-a-amplify the sound waves. The longer it's played, the more forceful the waves."  
  
"But where's the amplifier?" Scott asked.  
  
"Inside the head," Brains said, taking the head joint and unscrewing the tuning cap. Inside they saw a bunch of wires crammed into the small space a cork should be. Brains pulled the wires out, exposing the back end of what looked like a micro-satellite. Tipping it up just right for the light to shine on the inside of the head joint, he showed them the other side of the mini-amplifier.   
  
"That's all interesting and all, but why a flute? If you were going to amplify sound waves wouldn't a brass instrument be better? You know, like a trumpet or something?" Gordon asked.  
  
"A brass i-i-instrument would be better, but not as compact. Nor as soothing to hear," Brains said, putting the head joint back together and putting the flute back into the box.  
  
Scott silently took everything in then turned to his father. "Did you find anything out on those IDs yet?"  
  
Jeff shook his head. "Nothing but dead ends. One of them is a fake and the other two are recently deceased singer and musician."  
  
"What about those dog tags?" Virgil asked.  
  
"The ID number on them matches that of a dead sergeant, a Mr. Jonathan Gant. The military wouldn't let more than just that out though, which leads me to believe..."  
  
"With that kind of weapon and fake IDs, she's either a spy or secret agent," Scott finished for his father, who nodded solemnly.   
  
"So what do we do with her?" Gordon asked.  
  
"I guess wait until she wakes up, find out what we can, then take her to where ever she was heading. There's not much else we can really do right now."  
  
Everyone stood in silence until there was a familiar beep coming from the wall behind them. Looking up, they saw the eyes of John's picture flashing.  
  
"Go ahead, John," Jeff said, opening the lines of communication.  
  
"Father, I've just received a strange call from a Captain Schwartz."  
  
"What kind of call?" Virgil asked.  
  
"Well, it seems that the Fireflash aircraft, flight 169, was heading from Japan to Australia when they hit some pretty violent turbulence. The last thing I heard before their radio went out was something about the plane falling apart."  
  
'I knew this would happen,' Jeff thought. "Do you have the coordinates of their position?"  
  
"Within a thirty mile radius, yes. They're over the Pacific, east of New Zealand."  
  
"Scott..."  
  
"I'm on it," Scott said heading for the secret revolving wall that would lead him to Thunderbird 1's hangar.  
  
"Virgil, you and Gordon take Pod 4."  
  
"Right," Virgil said, heading for the secret entrance to Thunderbird 2.  
  
"Dad, what about Alan? Don't you think we might need his help?" Gordon asked.  
  
"If you need Alan, tell Scott and have him come back here and pick him up. We need someone watching that young woman carefully."  
  
Gordon left, shaking his head. 'I don't think Alan is the type to watch things carefully...'  
  
  
Alan sat in the med room reading his magazines. He heard the familiar beep of an incoming call he guessed was from John. He looked at the still unconscious woman and sighed. 'Just my luck. A call comes in and I'm stuck baby sitting,' he thought, going back to his magazine. He was in the middle of a particularly interesting article when he thought he heard something move. Glancing up from the article, he saw the girl moving and went to the intercom to tell his father. In almost no time Jeff was in the room, followed closely behind by Brains.  
  
"Wh-where am I?" the young woman asked, putting a hand to her forehead and grimacing at the pain.  
  
"You're safe, for now," Jeff replied.  
  
The young woman opened her eyes slowly; trying to focus on the three faces standing around her. "Who are you? What happened?"  
  
"We were wondering the same thing," Alan said.  
  
"My name is Oriana Gant, but most people know me by my stage name, Felony Shepherd. As far as what happened..." she said, pulling herself up to a sitting position.  
  
"You're an actress?" Alan asked, looking at his father.  
  
Oriana started to chuckle but ended in a cough. "No. I am not an actress. I'm a singer. Or at least I was."  
  
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Will Alan ever finish his article? Will Oriana come clean about the flute? Will poor Brains ever lose his st-st-stutter? Probably not, but tune in anyway to find out what happens next! 


	3. The Story

Note: There is no note. Just read. Then review. Now.  
  
  
"Was?" Alan asked.   
  
"Yeah. I've put a pause on my singing career for a while. I've decided to work on other musical interests for a while and to relax from being on the road so much."  
  
"Such as?" Alan pushed in a tone that made Jeff shoot him a warning glare.  
  
"Well a friend of my father's gave me a flute for Christmas a few years back and I decided that now would be a good time to learn how to play it. Besides that, I've been trying out some new music for my guitar and trying to write new songs. It's hard. Especially when the songs aren't about love of some sort."  
  
Just then a beep from another call was heard. 'Shit!' Jeff thought as Alan groaned.  
  
"That's probably Scott. I'll be back in a few minutes," Jeff said heading for the door.  
  
Alan stopped him and whispered, "What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Try and get some more information from her, but do it discretely," Jeff emphasized the last word with a slight hiss. Alan just nodded and Jeff left to see what was going on.  
  
"So you play the flute?" Alan asked after his father had disappeared down the hall.  
  
"Not real well. I'm still learning," Oriana replied before breaking out into a coughing fit.  
  
"Are you a-a-all right?" Brains asked walking over to the bedside.  
  
Oriana waved him off and nodded. "Yes. I'm fine. Still recovering from a nasty cold I had."  
  
Alan and Brains just looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do next when Jeff called Brains to the lounge through the intercom. Brains excused himself, leaving Alan to wonder what he was going to do. He waited until Brains was out of earshot, then turned on Oriana like a rabid dog on its owner.  
  
"Who are you really? What are you trying to hide? Who are you working for? Where'd you get that flute?" Alan asked, taking Oriana by surprise from his tone.  
  
"I am really Oriana Gant! Honest! If you're referring to my IDs, I had them all made so that I could go out in public and not have to worry about being jumped by the press. It's so hard to lead a semi-normal life when you're a half-decent singer just trying to make a living."  
  
"If you were trying to hide from the press then why is all the information on the IDs the same except the names?"  
  
"Well... As a singer, everyone only knows me as Felony so I use that ID to get me in to my manager's office, the record company, so on and so on. As a second-rate guitarist trying to get some gigs close to home, everyone knows me as Aurora Morningstar. The other ID, Stacia Floring, I use everywhere else with everything I do."  
  
"Why don't you just use your real name? Wouldn't that be easier?"  
  
Oriana shook her head. "I can't. If I used my real name I'd be hunted down and killed."  
  
Alan raised an eyebrow in question and was quiet as he thought things out for a second. "Why isn't there any information on the name Oriana Gant? No social security, no birth records, nothing. What'd you do? Appear out of thin air?"  
  
Oriana looked at him and sighed, then looked down at her hands as she began twisting part of the sheet up in her hands. "Sir, I want you to know that what I'm about to tell you hasn't been told to anyone outside of the army." She looked up at him for a second, then back down at the sheets. "I was, I guess you could say, a war orphan. I was found in a nearly destroyed village after a terrorist attack by a group of soldiers. One, Sergeant Jonathan Gant, felt sorry for me and decided to adopt me, but for whatever reason, he wasn't allowed to legally. He went AWOL and disappeared into Amish country with me. A few years later the government found where we were at and killed him, but thankfully didn't find me. Ever since then I legally changed my name to Felony Shepherd and more or less have kept my true identity hidden." She looked up at him, tears trailing down her cheek, a deep sadness in her eyes.  
  
Alan just stood there in shock and disbelief. He searched her face for any signs of lying, but couldn't find any. It sounded so sincere and the tears were a nice touch. He almost felt sorry for her, but something was nagging at the back of his mind that just didn't make sense. Something she had said that just didn't click right. He was so deep in thought over what it was he was startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw it was his big brother, Scott.  
  
"Why don't you let our guest get some rest before dinner, hmm?" Scott said, noticing the slightly puzzled look on Alan's face. Alan nodded slowly and left the room. Scott watched his brother leave then turned to Oriana, a bundle in his hands.  
  
"Here are some clean clothes to change in to, if you'd like. Dinner's at six. Someone will come and get you around five-thirty or so. You can rest until then."  
  
"Thank you," Oriana whispered and Scott left, looking almost as puzzled as Alan did.  
  
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Are you confused? Did Oriana's story kinda go right over your head? Do you wish you could help poor Alan not be as confused as you? Well maybe help will be in the next chapter for you and Alan. Stay tuned for more!! 


	4. Dinner and a Mystery

A/N: Sorry for the wait guys. Work's been hell with Christmas so... I've decided to give ya'll a little Christmas treat. I know Chapter 4 isn't the best, but I haven't had much time to work on it. Chapter 5 will hopefully be a little better. Anyhoo... On to the slaughter house!   
  
  
That night at five-thirty exactly there was a knock on the door. Oriana quickly cleaned up her mess and was met by Virgil on the other side of the door. After brief introductions, Virgil escorted her to the dining room. There, more introductions were made as everyone sat down to yet another of Grandma Tracy's wonderful feasts. Everyone dug in almost immediately as if they hadn't eaten in days. Though everyone had polite and interesting conversations, none of them really felt at ease. It was like eating with a sibling who knew you did something wrong and was just waiting for a chance to spill the beans. Alan especially. He kept glancing over at Oriana to see if she would do or say anything even remotely suspicious. It wasn't until Virgil started up a conversation about music that Alan suddenly remembered what had puzzled him so much before.  
  
'Of course! Why didn't I think of it earlier?' Alan thought, mentally slapping himself in the forehead. 'If she's hiding from the government, then why is she in such a public occupation like singing. She said herself she was having trouble hiding from the press. Also, she seemed to totally blow off my question on the flute. She's hiding something. I'm sure of it.' Alan munched on a biscuit as he stared at the woman who was politely laughing at one of Gordon's lame old jokes. 'I've got to talk to someone about this. Maybe Scott will have some advice. I'll talk to him and see what he thinks, then talk to dad alone. I just hope we get her out of here soon.'  
  
Dinner continued and ended as merry as it had begun. Alan stayed behind to help Scott clear the dishes while everyone went to the lounge to relax.  
  
"Scott, can I ask you a question?" Alan asked as they headed to the kitchen with an armload of dishes.  
  
"Sure. What's up?"  
  
"What do you think of that Oriana?"  
  
Scott stopped and raised an eyebrow, looking at his little brother. "Not planning on ditching Tin-Tin for her, are you?"  
  
Alan stopped a second then shook his head as he realized what Scott had said. "No! I'd never do that to Tin-Tin! What I meant was what do YOU think of her?"  
  
Scott chuckled then shrugged, heading for the kitchen again.   
"She's a puzzle. Washing up from out of nowhere, carrying all those IDs, and that flute... Other than that she seems normal enough to me. Why?"  
  
"I think she's hiding something. She told me that she's a singer and a talented musician, but that she's also hiding form the government."  
  
Scott thought on this for a minute as he started loading the dishwasher. "That's odd. Why would she be in such a public profession when she's trying to hide?"  
  
"Exactly. She's got to be up to something."  
  
"Did you ever think that maybe she was lying to you?"  
  
"Well... I guess not. At least not until now."  
  
"It could have been a sort of test, too. You know, trying to find out how long it takes for something to get around."  
  
"Or she could have been telling a half-truth and made the rest up to throw me off!" Alan slapped himself on the forehead.   
  
Scott looked at his brother and shook his head. "I think you've spent too much time cooped up."  
  
"Maybe. I just can't wait until she leaves, though. I've been on edge ever since you brought her home."  
  
Scott ruffled Alan's hair. "And I can't wait for your grey hairs to come in with all your worrying. Remember, we're International Rescue. There's no one that can hurt us, and nothing we can't handle if we stick together. "  
  
Alan nodded and they finished loading the dishwasher and started it before heading to the lounge to join the others. When they got there, Alan suddenly found himself being hugged by Tin-Tin who had been hiding behind the wall after arriving just moments before. Scott left the two and joined Gordon on the couch to watch the news. A few minutes later Alan and Tin-Tin went to join the group. Tin-Tin was just about to ask how everything went when the newscaster started talking about the rescue earlier that day. Jeff turned the volume up so that everyone could hear.  
  
"...Flight 169 was found and delivered by International Rescue earlier today. Local authorities have been conducting an investigation into the possible reasons of the flight's crash. According to one coroner's report, the bodies in the plane have been in the ocean for at least a week, even though it is reported that International Rescue had just received the call today. It is also reported that all but three passengers have been accounted for but that no names will be released at this time. We will continue to update you as we receive information. In other news..."  
  
Jeff turned the TV off and faced the others.  
  
"That's impossible! A radio signal couldn't be delayed like that..."  
  
"Unless they were in the Bermuda Triangle!" Gordon interrupted Virgil who glared at him.  
  
The others nodded and started to get into their own little conversations about the story. Jeff was about to say something when he noticed that Oriana wasn't talking to anyone. Instead, she was playing with her dog tags nervously. Jeff walked over to Tin-Tin and whispered something to her. Tin-Tin nodded and went over to Oriana.  
  
"Hello Miss Oriana. I couldn't help but notice you looked a little tired. Would you like me to show you to the guest bedroom?"  
  
Oriana nodded and got up to follow Tin-Tin. Alan watched nervously as the two women left the room. He knew Tin-Tin could handle herself if something went wrong, but he was still very uneasy about Oriana. He got so lost in thought that it too several shakes from Gordon to snap him out of it.  
  
"Well it seems I'm not the only one who's uncomfortable about all of this," Jeff said as he watched Alan. "First this woman washes up on the island, then we get a call for help that comes from a plane that's been down for almost a week."  
  
"Well we're going to be busy this holiday season..." Gordon half joked, but no one seemed to notice.  
  
"No. As soon as Oriana is off the island we can stop worrying and go back to semi-normal, but while she's here I want everyone to keep an eye on her for anything suspicious. This has become a high alert situation," Jeff said.  
  
"Well why don't we just fly her to the mainland tomorrow?" Alan asked, crossing his arms.  
  
"What about the flute? We can't let her leave with it," Scott stated.  
  
"True," Jeff sighed.   
  
"But we don't know where it was going or who it was going to. If we could find those out we might be able to stop something so destructive in its tracks," Virgil said.  
  
"We're a rescue organization, not the FBI. We can't go getting involved in things that don't concern us."  
  
"But this does concern us, father! Earlier today we got a call for help from people who were already DEAD! What if one of the three people who are missing from the plane just happens to be this woman? What if she's the cause of the plane crash? We can't let a killer go loose!" Alan exclaimed, somewhat irritated.  
  
Jeff went back to his desk and sat quietly in thought, then reached for the phone. A couple of minutes later a gruff voice asked who was calling.  
  
"This is International Rescue. We were wondering if you could tell us the names of the three people who were missing from Flight 169. We think the three in question maybe be involved in some illegal activity and have to make sure it's the people we are in pursuit of."  
  
"Uh... Sure thing! Just a second!" Sounds of ruffled papers and muffled voices could be heard for several minutes. "Here they are. Let's see, the three that were missing, according to the passenger roster are Roger White, Stacia Floring, and Michael Moore."  
  
"International Rescue thank you for your help," Jeff said then hung up, looking at his sons.   
  
"This mystery seems to getting more puzzling," Scott said as the others nodded in agreement.   
  
"Tomorrow we shall have a little talk with Miss Gant. For now, I think we could all use some rest. Perhaps in the morning we will be able to shed some light on this thing," Jeff said. Everyone just nodded and left for their rooms. 


	5. Truth or Scare?

Merry Christmas everyone! I thought I'd throw Chapter 5 in as a little gift. It's still kinda rough so watch out for papercuts. Anyway, hope ya'll enjoy! - Duette  
  
  
Later that night, on his way back to his room after a midnight snack, Scott thought he heard something coming from the guest bedroom. Creeping closer he heard what sounded like a thud against the wall. As quietly as possible he opened the door and just stood there when he saw Oriana. She was sitting on the bed next to the window, the moonlight giving her a sort of ethereal glow in the darkness. Scott could see that there was something wrong, but was unsure as to what to do, then he remembered seeing how Alan had comforted Tin-Tin countless times. Without a word he walked over and sat on the bed, gently squeezing Oriana's arm to let her know he was there and that everything would be all right. Oriana blinked slowly and turned her head slightly towards him, a tear falling down her cheek.  
  
"I should have stayed," was all she said as another tear followed.  
  
"What do you mean?" Scott asked, letting go of her arm.  
  
Oriana sighed and closed her eyes, letting her head fall against the wall, making the same sound Scott had heard earlier. They sat in silence for several minutes as Oriana gathered herself together to speak.  
  
"I was on Flight 169. I helped murder hundreds of innocent people. And here I am, still alive, paying the ultimate punishment for such a horrid deed."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Oriana sighed again and looked out the window at the stars. "I was hired by the government to intercept a new weapon being developed by some terrorist group. I received the weapon from an inside source and was traveling to New Zealand to deliver it to an agent waiting there. While on the plane, a couple of guys, possibly from the same group, hijacked the plane and, shall we say, persuaded, me to play for them."   
Scott just sat there in shock as Oriana broke down. "I played for only a short time, but the plane was shaking so violently... The screams... Oh god the screams! Men and women holding on to what they could and each other as the plane shook itself apart... I don't know how I escaped. Something must have hit me in the head and knocked me unconscious. All I remember is waking up in the ocean and seeing the island, then waking up again here."  
  
Scott sat in silence as he took in this information and watched Oriana curl up against the wall as if trying to hide from something. "Why are you telling me this?" he finally asked after a bit, letting Oriana calm herself down.  
  
She shook her head. "I don't know. Guilt, perhaps. To clear my conscience enough so that I can go on without having to bear this burden alone. I don't know. There's just something about you that makes me feel safe talking to you."  
  
"What happens when the government or those terrorists find out who you are and where you've been?"  
  
Oriana sighed. "I either get fired, imprisoned, or die." She looked back at Scott. "You're going to tell your father, aren't you?"  
  
Scott nodded. "Yes. He would have found out sooner or later. It's best to come clean about this now so that we can figure out some way to help."  
  
She turned on him, grabbing his shoulders. "No! I don't want you, or anyone else involved. This has gotten too dangerous and I don't want the lives of more innocent people on my conscience because I got them involved. I'll handle this on my own as soon as I get off this island. It's the best way." She let go of him and turned back towards the window. "Life is short. Do what you can with your family while you can. You never know when something may take them away."  
  
Scott sat on the bed for a couple more minutes studying her, trying to figure this puzzle of a woman out. When she said nothing more, he got up and went to the door, looking back one last time before closing it, shaking his head in wonder and pity and going back to bed.  
  
  
Early the next morning, Scott was woken up by a knock on his door. Curious, he opened it, only to find someone dressed strangely like Santa Claus. Before he could say anything, Santa had pulled out a machine gun and began firing. Scott cried out in pain as he felt the stinging of many bullets hit him in the chest. He fell to the floor, gasping for air that his punctured lungs wouldn't give him. Santa walked over and kneeled beside him, removing his beard and revealing a face that seemed oddly familiar.   
  
"Merry Christmas, Scott. May you rest in pieces!" the man said before standing up and emptying the clip into Scott, his evil laughter echoing throughout the room.  
  
  
Scott woke up with a start, cold sweat covering his body. He groaned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "That's it. No more late night mobster movies and Christmas cookies. I'm going to end up giving myself a heart attack." He yawned and looked at the clock. "Four AM... Not as early as I thought it was."   
  
Scott got out of bed and went to the bathroom to do his morning ritual of cleansing himself for the day; turning over the things Oriana had told him the night before in his mind. He got dressed and opened his door to head for the kitchen when he was suddenly met by a bucket of ice-cold water. "Gordon!!" He yelled and was met by snickers from around the corner. Quietly Scott stalked to the corner and reached around, grabbing a handful of material and yanking up Alan. Gordon was sitting beside him, a huge grin on his face as he took off, leaving Alan to bear most of Scott's wrath.  
  
"Uh... Morning big brother!" Alan said, laughing nervously.  
  
"Come with me," Scott said, dragging Alan with him. They went out to the pool and Alan's eyes got real wide as he figured out what Scott was about to do. Sure enough, without a word, Scott tossed Alan into the frigid waters of the pool.  
  
"No fair! We only got you a little wet!" Alan exclaimed, swimming for the closest ladder.  
  
"You're only a little wet now too," Scott said, crossing his arms and smiling slightly.   
  
Alan frowned and was about to say something, but broke out into a huge grin instead. Curious, Scott was about to ask what was going on when he felt hands on his back pushing him into the pool. When Scott came up he saw Gordon and Alan laughing their heads off as they leaned on each other for support. Scott swam over and was about to grab Gordon to throw him in when Jeff appeared on the balcony and asked them to come to the lounge.  
  
"I'll get you yet, my brother," Scott said, looking at Gordon, then to Alan. "And your little minion too."  
  
Gordon and Alan were still laughing as they walked into the lounge, Alan and Scott still dripping wet. Jeff raised an eyebrow in question, but decided not to ask. Virgil walked in a few moments later, saw Scott and Alan, and smirked. The early morning bucket of ice water had almost become a ritual for Gordon and Alan whenever there was an important meeting. He was glad that it was Scott and not him this time. Last time the water had missed him and nearly ruined a painting he was working on. He shook his head as Scott and Alan started a little shoving match.  
  
"All right boys, let's settle down. We have some important things to discuss," Jeff said. Alan was able to get in one last shove before Jeff shot both the boys a look that had trouble written all over it if they didn't stop.  
  
"What's going on, father?" Gordon asked, trying not to laugh as Alan and Scott began punching each other in the arm when they thought no one was looking.  
  
"We have a slight problem. John's coming home for Christmas this year, which means that we need someone up on Thunderbird Five, and if you two don't stop, I'll banish you BOTH up there for six months!" Jeff ended, looking straight at Scott and Alan. Alan grinned sheepishly and Scott just moved away to avoid any more temptation to beating his little brother to a pulp. "You two can finish later. Right now we have to figure out how what we're going to do about launching Thunderbird Three without Miss Gant noticing. We also have to figure out what to do with her. Once John comes home, any calls for help will be relayed here, which will make it harder to hide who we are from her."  
  
"We can ask her where she was going and have Scott drop her off while I go get John," Alan said.  
  
Jeff shook his head. "If anything Virgil would take her and you and Scott would go and get John. Don't look at me like that. You know it takes a crew of two to fly Thunderbird Three."  
  
'Yeah. A pilot and a babysitter,' Alan thought as he looked over at Scott.  
  
"What about Tin-Tin? She could fly Oriana to the mainland," Gordon stated.  
  
"No! I don't want something to happen to Tin-Tin while I'm away," Alan said.  
  
"Oh Alan, you worry too much!" Tin-Tin said walking in to the room. "I can handle myself should something happen."  
  
"That's just the thing! I don't WANT anything to happen," Alan almost pouted.  
  
"Why not have Tin-Tin go with Alan on Thunderbird Three. That would leave Scott or I open to fly Oriana to the mainland," Virgil stated.  
  
"Please dad?" Alan asked, putting on those almost irresistible puppy-dog eyes.  
  
Jeff sighed and nodded. "Very well. You and Tin-Tin prepare to leave at oh-seven hundred to get John."  
  
Alan practically squealed from being so happy and left with Tin-Tin to make sure Thunderbird Three was prepped and ready for take-off. Scott waited until they were out of site before telling his father about what he had learned the night before. Jeff was not at all happy with the news that their visitor was a government agent, nor that she was dealing with terrorists, but agreed that they should help if they could.   
  
"Hey, I know! What if we set up a Christmas concert! No, no, hear me out. The terrorists and US government are after the flute, right? Well what if we held an instrumental concert and have Oriana play the flute. Maybe not the REAL flute, but you get my drift? Anyway, we'd be catching a couple of terrorists and be able to hand that, and this weapon, to the government without worry!" Gordon said.  
  
The others looked at him like he had lost his mind and Gordon gave up and went to thinking up something else when Virgil began adding to the somewhat odd, yet possible plan. Soon Scott had his own ideas and before long everyone was throwing in suggestions. Jeff sighed as he listened to the plans his sons were making and wondered how his connections were in the entertainment business so he could pull this off.  
  
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Will Oriana find out about International Rescue? Will Jeff be able to pull enough strings for a Christmas concert? Will Alan ever stop whining? Find out in the next exciting chapter of A Christmas Mystery! 


	6. Plans and Paranoia

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. Between work and updating my site, my muse has been over worked. I'm hoping to have Chapter 7 up in a little bit better time period. Anyhoo... On with the story! ~ Duette  
  
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"Well, Williams, what did you find?"  
  
"It's definitely her. The description and tag number are an exact match."  
  
"And?"  
  
"She's alive and well."  
  
"That's good to hear. Any other news?"  
  
Williams flipped through a couple of papers. "A summary of the investigation into the plane crash has come in."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"General Kasey, sir, it is believed the weapon was used on the plane."  
  
"This isn't good. Do you have anything on the person who called our agent in?"  
  
"Yes, sir. It was a Mr. Jeff Tracy. Retired Air Force and astronaut, head of Tracy Enterprises."  
  
"All right. I want you to assemble a team to retrieve our agent and the weapon. I'll give this Mr. Tracy a call. If this new weapon was responsible for that crash, then I want every precaution taken to make sure it doesn't happen again."  
  
"Yes, sir," Williams said as he headed for the door.  
  
"Oh, and Williams, I want a full copy of the report on my desk by morning."  
  
"Yes, sir," Williams sighed and left as General Kasey reached for the phone. He walked out of the building, relaying the message for the crash report to the secretary on duty on his way. He then hopped into a jeep and drove to his little cottage on base.  
  
'Sometimes being a brown-nosing errand boy sure does pay off,' Williams thought as he walked in. He checked to make sure no one was around outside before closing and locking all the doors and covering all the windows. He then went into his bedroom, and after thoroughly checking for any bugs anyone may have planted, he sat down in front of the phone. He took a deep breath before nervously dialing a number that had practically been burned into his memory. He played with a pencil anxiously waiting for someone to answer.  
  
  
"Yes, General... I can do that. She'll be ready to go in two days' time... Yes, sir... Good-bye."  
  
"Who was that?" John asked coming back from the kitchen munching on a biscuit he happened to snatch while Grandma wasn't looking. Thankfully the guest rooms were designed to muffle the sounds of the Thunderbird craft taking off, so it was easy to explain the loud roar of a large jet engine, and the sudden appearance of John, to Oriana when she had asked.  
  
"That was General Kasey. He's going to be sending some men over to pick up Oriana, and probably that weapon, in two days," Jeff replied.  
  
"So I guess that concert's off, huh?" Scott had briefed John on the way back about Gordon's plan while Alan argued against it.  
  
"Perhaps. We shall just have to wait and see."  
  
  
"A what?" Oriana asked as Gordon and Virgil told her about the concert idea. "Are you guys nuts? I will not allow you to put yourselves in danger for my sake!"  
  
"We're only trying to help," Virgil said.  
  
"It's what we do," Gordon added.  
  
Oriana shook her head. "I won't let you do it! It's not worth it. Besides, I'm only a mediocre musician. Nobody would want to listen to me for more than five minutes."  
  
"Well Virgil can help you with that," Gordon said, patting his brother on the back.  
  
"And we can all play well enough to cover up any mistakes you make," Virgil stated.  
  
"No."  
  
"Pleeeease?" Gordon asked trying to pull the puppy-dog eyes Alan uses all the time to get his way.  
  
Oriana looked at Gordon. "You're the stubborn headed ox of the family, aren't you?"  
  
"No, that's Alan, but that's beside the point," Gordon said without hesitation.  
  
Oriana smiled slightly. "Will you do things my way?"  
  
Virgil and Gordon looked at each other then shrugged. "I suppose we could," Virgil said.  
  
"Well... I guess I could use some help..."  
  
"All right! The Luna-tix are back!" Gordon exclaimed.  
  
Virgil chuckled and shook his head. "Right. Let's go tell father."  
  
  
Tin-Tin was in the garden with her father, Kyrano, when they both heard an angry scream from the beach. They ran to see what was going on only to find Alan kicking the sand and throwing rocks into the ocean. Tin-Tin ran down the slope and to him as he tripped himself and fell to the ground, crying. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, trying to comfort whatever was bothering her baby-faced love. Kyrano went back to the garden, smiling and shaking his head. He knew if anyone could calm the youngest Tracy brother, it was his daughter.  
  
"Tin-Tin? Do you trust me?" Alan asked after a bit, wiping the tears off of his face.  
  
"Of course I do! Why would you think otherwise?"  
  
"Do you think the others do too?"  
  
"I'm sure they do. Alan, what's wrong?"  
  
"I have this bad feeling that something's going to happen, but nobody seems to trust me," Alan said, tears welling up in his eyes again.  
  
"What could possibly happen that could be so bad?"  
  
"I-I don't know, Tin-Tin, but I just feel that something bad is going to happen, and soon. And I think that Oriana is the reason."  
  
  
"Two days? Are you sure?" Oriana asked as Jeff gave her the message. He just nodded and she shook her head. "Do you mind if I use your phone for a bit?"  
  
Jeff shook his head and vacated his desk. Oriana sat down and dialed a number on the vid-phone. She was greeted on the screen by a bored looking secretary doing her nails.   
  
"General Kasey's office, Michelle speaking. How may I help you?"  
  
"Is General Kasey in?"  
  
"Yes he is. May I ask who's calling?"  
  
"Just tell him it's urgent."  
  
The secretary sighed and pushed a button, making the screen go blank on Oriana's end for a couple of minutes before being replaced with a grandfatherly looking man.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello, sir."  
  
"Ah, Gant! So good to hear from you! You had us worried there for a while."  
  
"Sorry, sir. You know how things can get."  
  
"Indeed, indeed. So, what's this about being urgent?"  
  
"Well, sir, I need some help in completing this mission, and not enough time to get it set up."  
  
"That is a problem. What kind of help do you need?"  
  
  
Tin-Tin and Alan walked down the beach, arms wrapped around each other. They walked in silence, just enjoying each other's company, like they always did when one of them was upset. Tin-Tin stopped every so often to look at the shells that washed up on the beach, commenting on the colors and shapes while Alan just stood there and smiled at her. As they walked on, Alan began to feel more and more better. At one point he even started a little game of tag, which ended up with both Tin-Tin and himself sprawled out on the sand, staring up at the clouds. He was happy, and knew Tin-Tin was too, but there was still that feeling nagging at the back of his head. That feeling that he knew wouldn't leave until Oriana did.  
  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Virgil asked as Oriana finished with the last of her phone calls.   
  
"Now, we practice. We need to make a list of songs to play and work on them so we know the weak spots and can find some way to correct them before I leave. Also, Mr. Tracy, and I know this is coming from a complete stranger and all, but I was wondering, if there anyway you could get a flute that looks just like the one I have, by tomorrow evening? "  
  
"I suppose. Why?"  
  
"I'll need it as a decoy."  
  
"Th-th-that won't be necessary," Brains said from the entryway.  
  
"Brains! Where have you been hiding all day?" Gordon asked.  
  
"The lab. I've come up with a way to turn the, er, amplifier, on and off on the flute."  
  
"Oh?" Jeff asked.  
  
"Y-yes," Brains said pulling out the flute. "These two trill keys are never pressed at the s-s-same time in normal play, so I made them the switch."  
  
"Genius..." Oriana whispered and the others just smiled. "How can you tell if it's off or on, though, when you're not playing?"  
  
"The low C key is raised higher than normal. Here, look," Brains held out the flute while everyone gathered round and pressed the trill keys. The others watched as the low C key moved up and down enough so that anyone who doesn't know the instrument couldn't tell the difference.  
  
"Wow... Want a job working for the government?" Oriana asked.  
  
"N-no, thank you. I'm happy right here."  
  
"Well, now that that is out of the way, I suppose you boys should get to work on your music. This was, after all, your ideas," Jeff said with a slight smirk.  
  
Virgil nodded and left to go find Scott and Alan while Gordon pulled Oriana to the music room with John following not far behind. 


	7. Secrets Unfold

Told ya'll I'd get this done within a reasonable time period! ;) - Duette  
  
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The next couple of day went by fast as everyone practiced and got ready for the biggest concert they've ever played for. Grandma Tracy even got into the spirit and, with Tin-Tin's help, made everyone costumes to wear when they performed. The last night Oriana was there, they all decided to perform for the rest of the family. Even though it was still a little rough, they managed to play without too much difficulty and were met by cheers and clapping, most of the cheers coming from Grandma, making the boys blush.  
  
"Sounds good, boys. Now I think we should all get some rest. You've all been working hard the past couple of days," Jeff said.  
  
"Yes, father," they all replied as they put their instruments up.  
  
Everyone said their good nights and headed for bed. Alan waited until he was sure everyone was asleep before sneaking into Tin-Tin's room. Under normal circumstances no one would think this odd, but Alan still didn't want anyone to know. He quietly walked over to her bed and smiled as he watched her sleeping, then took a deep breath and woke her up.  
  
"Tin-Tin, can we talk?"  
  
  
Scott got up and sleepily stumbled into the kitchen for his midnight snack, as always, only to find Virgil and Gordon sitting at the kitchen table, half a pot of coffee sitting between them and a bowl of Frosted Flakes getting very soggy in front of Gordon.  
  
"Hey guys. What's wrong?" Scott asked as he sat down beside them, his snack forgotten.  
  
"Couldn't sleep," Virgil said, with Gordon nodding.  
  
"Nervous?"  
  
The two shook their heads.  
  
"Well what is it then? I know it's more than just not being able to get to sleep."  
  
Just then John walked in with Alan and Tin-Tin not far behind. John looked at the three already sitting at the table and asked, "Couldn't sleep?"  
  
Virgil and Gordon nodded and waited for their brothers to get something to munch on and sit down before going on.  
  
"What's going on?" Scott asked, apparently left out of whatever loop his brothers were apart of.  
  
"Well, you see Scott..."  
  
"It's about this Oriana," Alan finished for Virgil.  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"We've noticed you've been getting kind of close to her," John said, pouring himself some coffee.  
  
"And this bothers all of you?"  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Mind if I ask why?"  
  
"She's a damn secret agent, Scott! We can't have her finding out about us!" Alan exclaimed angrily, slamming his fist on the table.  
  
"I know that, Alan. And she's leaving later today. There's no way she'll find out between now and then about us," Scott said calmly, making Alan get even more angry.  
  
"That's not the point!" Alan hissed at him, making Tin-Tin put a hand on his arm and telling him to calm down.  
  
"You're blowing this out of proportion. She and I are just good friends, nothing more."  
  
"What about the late night visits?" Virgil asked.  
  
Scott raised an eyebrow as if to ask how he knew, then shook his head. "We just talk. Honest! She's been worried about completing this assignment and about us helping her. She would rather have taken this whole concert thing on by herself, but realized she could use the help and took it when it was offered. We could have very well just dropped her off somewhere, and not look back. But that's not the way we are. You all know this."  
  
Everyone seemed to be lost in thought at this. They all sat in silence, the only sound was that of the cuckoo clock as it announced the quarter hour. After a few more minutes Scott got up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Gordon asked, looking up from his bowl of cereal.  
  
"To go talk to Oriana then go back to bed. I suggest you guys do the same. After she leaves we only have a couple of days more to rest up and be prepared for this concert." Scott got to the door of the kitchen before turning to face his brothers again. "And might I suggest that next time you feel the need to offer such help to someone, you think about these things ahead of time."  
  
They watched Scott leave and then looked at each other.  
  
"So what do we do now?" John asked.  
  
"Try and go back to bed, I guess," Gordon said, taking his bowl of milk and soggy flakes to the sink and washing it out.  
  
"Aren't you guys the least bit worried about all of this?" Alan asked.  
  
"Of course we are, Al, but there's nothing we can do now. She's leaving, we have a job to do in a few days, and then it's all over with. Just like Scott said," Gordon said as he walked back over to the table.  
  
"Yeah, but..." Alan started to protest.  
  
"Alan, why don't you go back to bed. You'll feel better with some rest," Virgil said, nodding slightly towards Tin-Tin.  
  
Feeling defeated, Alan just sighed and got up to leave with the others. They walked down the hall together then said good night again and went to their bedrooms. They all lay in thought for several hours before sleep could finally take them.  
  
  
The next morning was cloudy and the sky was grey, as if a storm could break out at any minute. After a quiet breakfast everyone gathered in the lounge and waited for the plane to arrive to take Oriana off the island. They talked about the final plans for the concert to try and break the uneasiness that seemed to fill the room. A little after ten o'clock they heard the sound of jet engines and a voice came over the radio for permission to land. Gordon and Alan went out to the landing strip to help land and greet their visitors before leading them to the lounge.   
  
"Welcome to Tracy Island," Jeff said. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble finding it."  
  
"None at all, sir," one of the men, apparently the one in charge, said. He then turned to Oriana. "Are you ready Miss Gant?"  
  
"Uh, sure..." Oriana said, picking up her bag and coat, a feeling of uneasiness sweeping over her even more than earlier. She took a few steps as if to follow the men and Alan as they headed out the door, before pulling out a gun and aiming it at the man's head. "Hold it right there! Who are you?"  
  
The man turned around and the four other men that were with them put their hands on their weapons. Everyone else just stood in shock, unsure of what to do.  
  
"I'm Captain Michael Moore. I was sent here to pick you up and take you back to base," he said calmly.   
  
"Under whose orders?"   
  
"General Kasey's, of course."  
  
"Of course. Tell me, Captain, how is New Zealand this time of year?"  
  
"Quite nice, actually..." He stopped as he realized what he had just said, then laughed. "Was I that obvious?"  
  
"There are very few who know my name, Captain. Three of them just happen to be part of a terrorist organization."  
  
Tin-Tin and Grandma gasped and the boys, along with Jeff, suddenly realized what was going on. Jeff slowly reached under his desk to grab the gun he always kept there when he heard the click of a cocked gun and saw one of the four men aiming for him.  
  
"That's not wise, Mr. Tracy. I'm sure you don't want to leave these fine young men fatherless. After all, I'm sure it was hard enough on them to lose their mother at such a young age."  
  
Jeff stood up. "I see you've done your research."  
  
"Of course I have. And I'd like to thank you now for providing an excellent base of operations for us."  
  
"What?!" the boys asked in unison.  
  
"Why, we're taking over the island. As we speak a large ship is heading this way with all our troops. They'll be here sometime early tomorrow. In the meantime, I've been ordered to take prisoners. If you do not cooperate, I'll have to kill you."  
  
Oriana glared at Michael, her weapon unwavering as he grinned at her. She knew that if she shot him, the others would start shooting everyone in the room, starting with Jeff. Growling, she fought with herself as to what to do. She couldn't let anyone get hurt, and she wasn't about to let herself be taken prisoner. She could tell that Michael knew the conflict, which raged within her, but didn't care.   
  
"Come now, Gant. Don't make this hard on yourself. If you give up now, I may be willing to talk to The Boss about letting you live."  
  
Oriana looked at everyone in the room. She could tell the men were covering up their fear, but Tin-Tin held Grandma Tracy who was clearly scared. Sighing in defeat, she tossed her gun down.  
  
"Good girl. Boys, if you would do the honors."  
  
One of the other men pulled out handcuffs and grabbed Oriana roughly, turning her around so that he could cuff her hand behind her back. Taking the chance, Oriana mouthed to Virgil and Scott, "I have a plan." Scott winked and she knew he had understood.   
  
"Now for the rest of you," Michael said. One by one the Tracy's gave themselves up, Alan glaring at Oriana the entire time.  
  
"What do you intend to do with us?" Jeff asked.  
  
"You know, I'm not quiet sure. Perhaps I'll give that young lady there to my men after I let her watch you all die."  
  
"You bastard!" Alan screamed and leaped and the man closest to him, knocking him over with his shoulder. He then turned to the next man and charged after him.   
  
"Alan, look out!" Tin-Tin cried as she saw the first man aim his gun at Alan.  
  
Alan turned, then howled in pain and dropped to the ground as he was shot. Tin-Tin ran over to him, crying. Alan groaned and rolled over onto his back, a bright red spot on his sweater, near his shoulder, slowly growing bigger. Tin-Tin looked up at Michael, pleading, "You've got to help him! You can't let him die!"  
  
"It's not my problem," was all Michael said before he left the lounge, leaving the four men to guard his prisoners. He headed back out to the airstrip and to the plane he had come in. He talked to the men that were waiting for him and gave them their orders. He then pulled out a cell phone and called The Boss to give him the report.  
  
  
Everyone sat in silence, lost in his or her own thoughts. Tin-Tin and Alan leaned against each other, propped up by Jeff's desk. The four guards were off in a corner, quietly talking amongst themselves. Once in a while they would break out in fits of laughter, but they would quiet back down quickly. Oriana looked around the room for anything that might be useful as a weapon, when something caught her eye. Turning, she saw the eyes of John's portrait flashing. She nudged Virgil who was seated beside her and motioned with her head towards the painting. Virgil saw it and his face dropped. He looked to where his father was seated. Jeff nodded and looked to Tin-Tin who was the only one close enough to reach the switch. Tin-Tin swallowed nervously and nodded. She knew what she had to do, but it was not going to be easy.   
  
Tin-Tin moved Alan enough so that he was leaning against the desk, freezing when he moaned slightly. Making sure none of the guards saw her; she quickly made her way around the desk. It took her a moment to find the switch, and when she did she groaned. There was no way she could turn it off without using her hands because of the awkward angle it was at. Taking a deep breath, she stood up, her back to the desk, feeling as best as she could with her hands. She had just about found it when one of the guards saw her and demanded to know what she was doing. Jumping from the sudden demand, she accidentally flipped the wrong switch, opening up the communication lines from Thunderbird 5 to the house.  
  
"International Rescue, this is the U.S.S. North Carolina. We've been hijacked and the terrorists have killed most of the crew. We're carrying several nukes and last course was heading southwest somewhere off the coast of Africa. All attempts to take over the ship have been unsuccessful and, if she's not stopped, could destroy a small country."  
  
The guards looked at each other and smiled. They had just made the discovery of a lifetime. They not only had a leading agent against their organization, a weapon of mass destruction, and a secret island base, but now they also had International Rescue. The guards whispered to each other for a second before one of them took off like a bat out of hell towards the plane and another went to get Tin-Tin. Today was going to be an excellent day.  
  
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What is Oriana's plan? Will the boys be able to take back the island? Where the heck is Brains at? Find out in the next exciting chapter! 


	8. The Board Is Set

A/N: I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to Ms. Stephane Dumas and Ms. gan20. Without them I'd still be battling the writer's block my annoyment of a muse put up. Here it is, the long awaited Chapter 8!  
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"What's your plan?" Virgil whispered to Oriana when the guard roughly pushed Tin-Tin towards Grandma Tracy.  
  
"Be patient. I'll tell you after we've been moved."  
  
"Moved?" Gordon asked, leaning over Virgil. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Once they are given orders they will move us to one of the rooms in the basement."  
  
"How do you know this?" Virgil asked.  
  
"Years of surveillance. They've always taken prisoners to the basement of a building. It's a safety precaution they take to make sure that if someone did escape, they wouldn't know what was going on."  
  
"What happens if there's no basement?" Gordon asked.  
  
"You die."  
  
Virgil and Gordon just nodded and sat back. Everyone else sat quietly, except Alan who would cry out every now and then when he moved because of his shoulder wound. Time seemed to stretch on forever. Minutes seemed like hours as they waited for Michael to return to learn their fate.  
  
"Well, kiddies, it seems the Boss is in the Christmas spirit," Michael said as he walked back into the room. "He has asked me to spare your lives. He'll be arriving this evening to tell you about the plans he has in store for you. In the meantime, we'll have to find you a suitable place to stay since we'll be taking over the main rooms of the house."  
  
He motioned for one of the guards and talked to him briefly before more troops arrived in the villa. The guard gave a few of the troops some orders as they roughly pulled everyone to their feet. They were then led downstairs and to the basement, just as Oriana had said they would. The troops waited as a few other men finished clearing the music room of any items that could possibly be used as a weapon before roughly pushing everyone into the room. One man, who was carrying Alan, dropped him hard on the old couch that was by the back wall, smirking as he did so. As the men began to leave, Oriana approached them.  
  
"Um, excuse me, but could you undo at least one of our hands so we can take care of the young man?"  
  
They just laughed and left the room, closing the door behind them. Oriana turned to the others who were staring at her.  
  
"What? It was worth a try."  
  
"So what do we do now?" John asked, turning to Jeff.  
  
"Didn't you say you had a plan?" Scott asked, looking at Oriana.  
  
"Well... First, answer me this: Are there any secret passages?"  
  
"To the hangars for all our craft," Virgil responded.  
  
"Where are they at?"  
  
"Upstairs," Scott said, looking worriedly over at Alan. Tin-Tin and Grandma were sitting next to him, trying to keep him from moving or thinking about the shoulder wound.  
  
"Well that shoots that idea. What about secret rooms or large ventilation shafts?"  
  
"Nope," Gordon said, shaking his head. "Other than the hangars, this is a pretty normal house."  
  
"Why don't we try and focus on more important things, like getting out of these handcuffs and tending to Alan's wound. After that we can worry about how to get out of here and taking the island back," Jeff announced.  
  
"Well, I can help with the first part of that, dad," John said. Everyone turned to see him twirling his handcuffs on a finger.  
  
"How...?" Gordon asked.  
  
"I stashed your set of handcuffs keys from the last time you thought it was funny to cuff me to my drums," John replied with a slight smirk. "Just incase you thought to do it again."  
  
Gordon grinned sheepishly. "Hee hee, oops!"  
  
John just smiled and walked over to the group. Before long everyone was free and standing over Alan, throwing ideas, belts, and pieces of ripped up shirts to help bandage up the wound. After Alan was proclaimed fixed, or at least back in somewhat working condition, they all began to discuss plans of escape.   
  
****  
  
Upstairs everyone was in a tizzy. They had just a couple of hours before the Boss came and they still hadn't found the entrances to the hangars where the craft of International Rescue lay safely tucked away. Michael was especially worried. He knew that the Boss didn't like to wait when it came to learning secrets of the organization he had been working so hard to get at for years. 'Besides,' he thought, looking out at the ocean from the balcony outside the lounge, 'it'd be a great idea to hand the members AND the craft of International Rescue over all in one package. Kinda like the ultimate Christmas gift. Yeah. That's it. A Christmas gift the Boss will never forget. I wonder if I'll get a raise...?' He continued pondering the idea of a raise and what he would do with his raise in rank when one of his men came running up to him.  
  
"I think we found one!" he gasped between breaths.  
  
"Oh? Show me," Michael said, trying to hide his enthusiasm. He hated showing those under him that he was still human. His strict nature, emotionless mask, and almost inhumane tactics were what got him the job in the first place.  
  
Michael followed the man outside and to the airstrip where several more men were standing around what looked like a normal plane hangar carved into the cliff side. The other men opened the main door and led him into a dark room, which he could tell from the echoes of their footsteps, was very large. Much too large for anything other than a Fireflash or Sky Thrust commercial aircraft. Perhaps even both.  
  
He continued to follow the men, turning back to look at the door and the small slit of light coming from it, barely lighting more than just the door. Just then overhead lights were turned on and Michael stared in amazement at the size of the room. As he slowly turned around, he stopped, his eyes landing on the huge, green ship with Thunderbird 2 painted on the side. He walked closer and noticed the track that ran underneath it and followed it until he found the adjoining room full of all the rescue equipment and six huge pods, ready and waiting to be loaded up and onto the magnificent bird that rested in the hangar behind him. He walked down the row of rescue equipment, a grin slowly making its way across his face. When he reached the end of the row, he noticed that there were still fairly wet tracks and the sound of water echoing behind the wall. With the help of his men, they found the barely visible markings of a large set of doors. Pushing with all their might, they were finally able to open them, the light from the room shining on the unmistakable form of a submarine. The grin on Michael's face spread into a smile, one that scared men many times. He had been able to find two of the three Thunderbird craft and one happened to be the main one that the Boss had wanted since he first saw them. Slowly a laugh bubbled up inside him and he let it go. It was a dark, maniacal laugh of triumph that sent shivers down the spines of the men who heard it as it echoed through the hangar.  
  
****  
  
"Jeff Tracy, I want you to answer me! Are you all right? What's going on?" a female voice said from Jeff's watch. Looking at it, he saw Lady Penelope's angry face glaring at him.  
  
"Why, Penny! What a pleasant surprise!" Jeff said, smiling slightly.  
  
"Don't give me this pleasant surprise stuff. What's going on? Why wouldn't you answer the main line? Where are you?"  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you, Penny. We're in trouble. The island's been taken over, Brains and Kyrano are missing, Alan has been shot, and we're all locked in the basement. I don't think we'll be able to pick you up at the airport."  
  
"Well that's a fine kettle of fish you've gotten yourself into. What can I do to help?"  
  
"Nothing, Penny. I don't want you getting involved. We've worked out everything here. We'll be all right."  
  
"Well, I'll be waiting in the Plaza Hotel by the airport. If I don't hear any good news from you by tomorrow evening, I'm getting some help."  
  
"Very well, Penelope. We'll be in contact. Jeff out."  
  
"Why don't you want her to help, dad?" Alan asked from the couch.  
  
"Because if anything goes wrong, she'll be the only one who CAN help."  
  
****  
  
"Mr. Brains, what do you think is going on?" Kyrano whispered to Brains as they hid behind a workbench in the lab.  
  
"I-I-I don't know, Kyrano, but whatever it is, it's, uh, not good. Mr. Tracy would n-never let anyone in the lab without a-at least telling me, first. These guys are probably some, er, uninvited guests," Brains whispered back. He moved to the edge of the workbench and looked around the other side, watching the strange men poke around the lab.  
  
"What about Mr. Tracy and the boys? Do you think they are all right?"  
  
"I think they are. They've been through t-t-tougher scrapes than this before."  
  
Brains waited as the men turned their backs and motioned for Kyrano to follow him underneath an instrument panel.  
  
****  
  
"Father, have you thought about contacting Brains on his communicator?" Alan asked as Grandma fussed over his bandages.  
  
"Yes, Alan, I have. I don't want to take the risk of these guys finding out that we have alternate ways of communication. We also don't want to take the chance of exposing Brains, should he be safe and in hiding."  
  
Alan just nodded and everyone fell silent. They had been able to come up with a workable plan, but needed a distraction for at least the guards outside. It would be hard to do just about anything in the music room because of the soundproof walls, built to keep the noise down and Jeff sane. According to everyone's watches it was now almost four-thirty in the afternoon. No one knew exactly when this Boss would get here, but they were betting that it would be soon. Looking around, Oriana's eyes stopped on the intercom box on the wall.  
  
"Mr. Tracy, does that intercom only receive, or can it send out as well?" She asked.  
  
"It can send and receive," Jeff said, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.  
  
"Where does it lead to?"  
  
"The lounge."  
  
"Good. I think we may have our way to pull this off," Oriana said, turning to the others and smiling.   
  
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Will thier plan succeed? Will all the craft be found? Who is this mysterious Boss? Tune in for the next exciting episode of Christmas Conspiracy! 


	9. Pawns Take Position

A/N: Sorry about taking so long on yet another chapter. Between work, bogging myself down with other projects, and preparing for my friend's visit, I've had a heck of a time trying to write. Good news is, my muse has now decided to cooperate and there will be some iteresting things to look out for in the next chapter or two. Also, thanks for all those who gave me ideas and helped me out too. You know who you are. ;)  
  
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"Cut and strip the white and red wires, but leave the others alone," John said as he helped Gordon move the stereo close to the intercom where Virgil was working on carrying out John's instructions.   
  
"You know, once we get this thing hooked up, we'll have to figure out what to play on it," Scott said, watching his brothers hard at work.  
  
"I've already found the perfect thing!" Alan exclaimed from his seat on the floor. He was surrounded by mounds of CDs he and Tin-Tin were looking through. "It's one of your old CDs from the Air Force, Scott."  
  
Alan tossed the CD still in its case to Scott, who chuckled when he saw it. "I guess this will have to do."  
  
Oriana looked at the CD. "That has approximately 45 minutes worth of music on it, right? This means we have 45 minutes to capture, cleanup, and set up for this Boss. This is, of course, assuming he is not already here. Since you men know this house better than I, we shall shoot for 30 minutes to do all of the above. If, by the time the third to last song starts playing, we have not completed most, if not all these tasks, then we will need those 15 minutes to prepare for a fight." Oriana then turned to the three on the floor. "Mrs. Tracy, Alan, Tin-Tin, we'll need you to stay here. If something should go wrong, you're our only help. We'll also need you to signal us when we are down to the last three songs, incase, for whatever reason, we cannot hear the songs ourselves."  
  
"So... I guess we're all set, right?" John asked as finished up the wiring. Everyone nodded.  
  
"Let's get to work, then. The sooner we can take back the island, the sooner we can start saving lives again," Jeff said.  
  
Outside the door to the music room, the two men standing guard were busy playing a game of war, when they heard a sudden bang against the door. Standing up quickly, they backed to the other side of the hall, their guns aimed at the door. They waited for another attack on the door, but heard a slightly lesser banging, then lots of yelling. Curious, they crept closer and put their ears up to the door. Just as they were starting to make out what was being said, they were suddenly knocked backwards and into the wall with the door.  
  
"Quick! Let's get them secured and get going!" the guards heard before being knocked out.  
  
Scott and John dragged the men into the music room and hand cuffed them to the piano, then took their weapons. Scott tossed Alan a gun as he walked pass.   
  
"All right. Everyone check your watches. We have thirty minutes starting...Now!" Jeff said. Alan turned on the CD as the group left the room. Their first stop was the target range to equip the group with whatever weapons and ammunition they would need, then they headed up stairs - Operation Take Back was in progress.  
  
***  
  
Michael began to grow impatient. The Boss's plane had been slowly circling the island for several minutes and had just now come in to land. He waited by the door of the small craft as armed men, the pilot, a couple of stewardesses, and a few other people he didn't recognize, got off the plane. Finally getting tired of waiting, he climbed up into the plane and just stood there in shock as he saw the Boss deep in some sort of trance.  
  
***  
  
Brains and Kyrano waited quietly for some news, ANY news, to come in. They had already tried to rewire the surveillance cameras to see what was going on, but all they could get was the lab's cameras. Several times throughout the day armed men had come and gone through the main lab. While the men were gone, Brains and Kyrano crept in, gathered important blueprints, manuals, and equipment, and stashed them in as many of the secret testing areas as possible before having to dash back into hiding again. During one such trip, Kyrano suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor. Worried about him, and both their safety, Brains carefully pulled Kyrano back into the room they were hiding in as Kyrano held his head and continued to cry out.  
  
"I have you now, my brother! And all of International Rescue!" the voice inside Kyrano's head said. Kyrano tried to shake the evil laughter and the creepy yellow eyes out of his mind, but every time he moved his head, a jolt of pain was there to meet him. He couldn't even open his eyes without having the same results. He listened helplessly to the rants of his evil half-brother. Kyrano knew he had to break the link, had to remember what happened during this episode. His life, and the life of the others, depended on it.  
  
***  
  
Scott and Gordon lead the group up the stairs and, after making sure the area was clear, signaled everyone else up. They briefly went over their plans again then split up into three groups.   
  
Virgil and Gordon headed towards the med room. They were both relieved and surprised not to find anyone in any of the bedrooms, or other rooms down the hall. Virgil made a point to stop and put all his paintings in the safe in the back of his closet while Gordon went into his room and gathered a few of his favorite prank toys that he thought would come in handy. They both then continued the sweep of that part of the house.  
  
John and Oriana went to secure the lab. After a brief gun fight and a lot of fists flying, they were finally able to get into the lab. John began to check everything for damage and for stock while Oriana just stared in amazement. She was about to ask him a question when she heard a noise. John opened the hidden door she was standing near and led Oriana down a short hall. They heard the noise again and John opened one of the doors to find a stunned Brains and a pained Kyrano. After allowing Brains to fuss over the two of them for a few minutes about their cuts, scrapes, and bruises, they all turned their attention to Kyrano to try and help him.  
  
Scott and Jeff had the task of taking back the lounge, the nerve center of International Rescue. If they could just regain that, taking back the rest of the island would be a snap. From their spot in the hall, they could clearly see the entire room. Seven of the ten men in the room were standing around the intercom on Jeff's desk, talking, dancing, and some even attempting to sing to the songs coming through. The other three were out on the balcony, pointing towards the airstrip and talking amongst themselves. Scott grinned at Jeff. This was going to be easier than stealing one of Grandma's fresh made biscuits.  
  
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Will Kyrano be able to warn the others of the Hood's evil plans? Will Scott and Jeff successfully start a conga line with the men in the lounge? Find out next time in the next exciting chapter! 


End file.
